There are two ways to get a real tan - you can do outdoors in the sun, or you can do inside of a tanning booth at a salon. Each method of tanning has its benefits and weaknesses:
Indoor Tanning -It allows you to control the amount of time you spend in the sun, ideally to reduce burning. It also allows you to tan during winter when it is too cold to do outdoors. Tanning booths however can be more dangerous, especially when they are used too often.
Outdoor Tanning - It is arguably more enjoyable. You can play sports or enjoy the water, tanning in the process. It also may not be quite as dangerous on a UV basis, in terms of how much UV exposure you receive in a similar amount of time. But outdoor tanning is also inexact, since your entire body …show more content…
The UV rays that tanning beds shower on your body are worse for your skin than the sun. Your skin receives far more damage in the 10 minutes you are in a tanning booth than it would during an equivalent 10 minutes in the sun. Similarly, while you can control your UV exposure in the tanning booth, you will still need to spend time outside, and while you are outside you are going to receive additional damage to the rays you received in the tanning bed. Unless you are constantly slathering a very high SPF on your body, there are going to be times where tanning is not in your control.
Overall Thoughts
Both tanning beds and sun tanning are dangerous. Tanning beds offer greater control, but at the risk of harsher UV exposure, while time in the sun is not as damaging, but is prone to error. The safer method is going to be the method that you believe you can control the best in order to reduce unnecessary sun exposure. If you believe that you can avoid the sun's damage, a tanning booth might be better. If you believe that you will not overdo your sun exposure, including leaving the sun even before you have received as much as necessary, sun tanning is a better
Indoor Tanning -It allows you to control the amount of time you spend in the sun, ideally to reduce burning. It also allows you to tan during winter when it is too cold to do outdoors. Tanning booths however can be more dangerous, especially when they are used too often.
Outdoor Tanning - It is arguably more enjoyable. You can play sports or enjoy the water, tanning in the process. It also may not be quite as dangerous on a UV basis, in terms of how much UV exposure you receive in a similar amount of time. But outdoor tanning is also inexact, since your entire body …show more content…
The UV rays that tanning beds shower on your body are worse for your skin than the sun. Your skin receives far more damage in the 10 minutes you are in a tanning booth than it would during an equivalent 10 minutes in the sun. Similarly, while you can control your UV exposure in the tanning booth, you will still need to spend time outside, and while you are outside you are going to receive additional damage to the rays you received in the tanning bed. Unless you are constantly slathering a very high SPF on your body, there are going to be times where tanning is not in your control.
Overall Thoughts
Both tanning beds and sun tanning are dangerous. Tanning beds offer greater control, but at the risk of harsher UV exposure, while time in the sun is not as damaging, but is prone to error. The safer method is going to be the method that you believe you can control the best in order to reduce unnecessary sun exposure. If you believe that you can avoid the sun's damage, a tanning booth might be better. If you believe that you will not overdo your sun exposure, including leaving the sun even before you have received as much as necessary, sun tanning is a better